A space for discussion about issues raised by the pervasiveness of the web.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

New prompt: Net Neutrality

Since the moment of the realization that the Internet could become a commercial arena, the issue of net neutrality has been an issue. Should the web remain open and free, or do companies have the right to charge for access to certain sites, or at certain speeds?

This week, take a position on this long and hotly debated issue. Be sure to demonstrate you understand the widespread implications of net neutrality, but create a short argument for how you think net neutrality should be legally applied to the web.

Is it important to free speech, democracy, and the economy that it remain open to all? Or is it fair in a capitalist system that companies should charge for access to certain sites, or charge more for higher-bandwidth uses, especially considering that some users use far more bandwidth than others?